IDF Identifies Soldier Killed in Accident

IDF releases name of soldier killed in accident. Soldier died while clearing land mines.

By Maayana Miskin

First Publish: 5/22/2013, 8:20 AM

Mine field in the Golan Heights

Flash 90

The IDF has identified the soldier killed in training Tuesday as 19-year-old Roi Alfi of Gan Yavne. His family has been informed of the tragedy.

Alfi was training with the Combat Engineering Corps.

He was killed by an exploding land mine while assisting in clearing a field of land mines. The incident took place in the Golan.

IDF commanders said that the mine-clearing operation had been done according to protocol, and Alfi was wearing all of the standard protective gear. However, the land mine that blew up next to him was unusually large and did extra damage, they said.

It is still not clear why the land mine detonated. An IDF taskforce has been set up to investigate what went wrong.

The last time an IDF soldier was hurt by a land mine was 2007. A soldier serving on an Air Force base in southern Israel accidently entered a mine field near Kibbutz Ketura, stepped on a mine, and was seriously injured.

In February 2010 five members of a single family were injured by a land mine while touring the Golan after entering a restricted area. Two of them – children ages 9 and 11 – suffered serious leg injuries.